You would think that in 2014, American clothing companies would strive to make better decisions about how they compensate the people who actually put together the products. This latest investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor proves otherwise. According to findings, there are over 1,500 garment workers who are not being properly compensated for their work, particularly workers linked to a certain supplier whose clients include Nasty Gal, Nordstrom, Macy’s and more.

According to The Fashion Law, California’s minimum wage is $9/hr, but garment workers were being given only nine cents for every article of clothing they sewed together. Laborers are made to work in sweatshop-like conditions, where their hours are not being properly logged, resulting in an average of $1,900 of unpaid labor — over $3 million in all.

There have been several reports of the poor conditions garment workers are made to toil under in countries like India and Bangladesh. While workers in America aren’t dealing with buildings constantly on the brink of collapse, it’s clear that the negative aspects of working in clothing production are not limited to that corner of the world. Garment workers are even being treated unfairly in a country that touts its “advanced” civil rights and labor policies. It just goes to show that sometimes, you don’t have to look further than your own backyard to see injustice playing out.

Jihan Forbes spends her days tirelessly writing and her work has been featured on Fashionista, XOJane, The Cut and more. She lives in Harlem, but will always be a Bronx girl. Send her an e-mail sometime.